3 ms·

Have there been any studies on how to reduce phthalate levels in humans? Does limiting exposure help? Can the body expell the stuff?

AstralStorm 9y ago
1) pilot studies. 2) it is very hard to limit exposure, they're too widespread. The main effects happen in childhood and adolescence. They may last for life. 3) not clear and not studied, but likely yes. This might not help at all like with many endocrine toxins that act on development.
cameldrv 9y ago
I know of one, fairly questionable study that showed that you could reduce Phthalates in your blood by about 50% by eliminating processed food, never storing or heating food in plastic, and switching to Phthalate free personal care products. There have been a few studies that have shown that the main route of exposure is through ingestion. Processed foods are more likely to contain Phthalates, probably because the ingredients may have flowed through PVC tubing that leaches them. It's really impossible to know, but the fewer processing steps your food has gone through, the less chance that this has happened. The biggest industrial use of Phthalates is as a plasticizer, and they are present in several types of plastic, in large quantities. Heating food in plastic containers has the potential to volatilize Phthalates and leach them into your food. This is a particular risk in prepared frozen food that you microwave. Many personal care products, such as soaps, shampoos, deodorants, and perfumes, contain Phthalates. Try to find ones that don't. One particularly bad source of exposure is certain enteric coated medicines and supplements. I would strongly advise anyone to not take anything that is enteric coated unless you know what the coating is made of. Some pills can spike Phthalate levels by 50x in a single dose. Almost all foods that contain animal fat will contain Phthalates, and this is a big source of exposure. Milk, meat, cheese, etc, all contain them, as they are fat soluble. The good news is that your body seems to clear these chemicals fairly quickly, but the problem is that you're constantly exposed to them. Ultimately, these are chemicals that we've produced over a billion tons of. It's just not possible to avoid them entirely. If you have a baby on the way though, make sure that the new mom does everything she can to minimize exposure, as what happens during that time really can never be taken back.

AstralStorm 9y ago

1) pilot studies. 2) it is very hard to limit exposure, they're too widespread. The main effects happen in childhood and adolescence. They may last for life. 3) not clear and not studied, but likely yes. This might not help at all like with many endocrine toxins that act on development.

cameldrv 9y ago

I know of one, fairly questionable study that showed that you could reduce Phthalates in your blood by about 50% by eliminating processed food, never storing or heating food in plastic, and switching to Phthalate free personal care products. There have been a few studies that have shown that the main route of exposure is through ingestion. Processed foods are more likely to contain Phthalates, probably because the ingredients may have flowed through PVC tubing that leaches them. It's really impossible to know, but the fewer processing steps your food has gone through, the less chance that this has happened. The biggest industrial use of Phthalates is as a plasticizer, and they are present in several types of plastic, in large quantities. Heating food in plastic containers has the potential to volatilize Phthalates and leach them into your food. This is a particular risk in prepared frozen food that you microwave. Many personal care products, such as soaps, shampoos, deodorants, and perfumes, contain Phthalates. Try to find ones that don't. One particularly bad source of exposure is certain enteric coated medicines and supplements. I would strongly advise anyone to not take anything that is enteric coated unless you know what the coating is made of. Some pills can spike Phthalate levels by 50x in a single dose. Almost all foods that contain animal fat will contain Phthalates, and this is a big source of exposure. Milk, meat, cheese, etc, all contain them, as they are fat soluble. The good news is that your body seems to clear these chemicals fairly quickly, but the problem is that you're constantly exposed to them. Ultimately, these are chemicals that we've produced over a billion tons of. It's just not possible to avoid them entirely. If you have a baby on the way though, make sure that the new mom does everything she can to minimize exposure, as what happens during that time really can never be taken back.